Unfortunately for football fans, the campaign will be abruptly halted by a needless international break just when things were beginning to get interesting. Nonetheless, Serie A went out with bang this weekend. Top clashes, back-and-forth action, shocking results and historic occasions all culminating in an unimaginable league standings. So we’ll try to wrap up some of the most interesting events of the weekend in our Tops and Flops from Serie A Round 7.
Top (Player): Gerard Deulofeu
Gerard Deulofeu is simply one of the most talented players in Serie A. The former Milan and Watford man oozes class, and he put his prowess at Udinese’s display, leading the Zebrette towards a stunning 3-1 victory over Inter.
The Spaniard almost scored a goal himself but was denied by the post. In the final minutes, the home side needed an extra boost of magic to see off the struggling Nerazzurri, and the Barcelona youth product delivered with two exquisite crosses that were directed towards goal by his teammates.
Flop (Player): Angel Di Maria
At the moment, something peculiar is going on at Juventus. Angel Di Maria is undoubtedly one of the most experienced players in Serie A, and perhaps the most accomplished in the entire league alongside Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Yet, Armando Izzo managed to get under his skin, prompting a naive reaction from the Argentine who hit the Monza defender with an elbow, leaving the already-hollow Bianconeri with a man down before halftime.
An unjustifiable mistake from a star of his caliber.
Top (Duo): Ciro Immobile – Sergej Milinkovic-Savic
Lazio endured a miserable midweek following an embarrassing defeat in Denmark. But as long as the capital side can rely on its golden duo, things should be alright for the Aquile.
Ciro Immobile could have easily came away with a hattrick at the expense of the hapless Cremonese, but he left the pitch with a personal brace, including a lovely goal courtesy of an assist from Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.
For his part, the Serbian also put his name on the scoresheet after pouncing a rebound as Ionut Radu failed to properly parry away the shot of – you guessed it – Ciro Immobile.
Flop (Manager): José Mourinho
Somethings in life never change. Like Silvio Berlusconi giving himself all the credit for his team’s win or Olivier Giroud scoring in a top Serie A clash, and of course José Mourinho getting himself sent off following a heated altercation with the match official.
The Special One wasn’t enjoying his best evening at the Olimpico Stadium with Roma trailing to Atalanta, and eventually lashed out on the referee who rebuffed his side’s penalty claims.
Not even the older and supposedly-wiser version of the Portuguese can avoid an occasional squabble, whether it may be with the official, his counterpart or anyone standing between him and victory.
Top (Manager): Luciano Spalletti
Although it was his assistant Marco Domenichini sitting on the dugout, Luciano Spalletti’s shadow was looming all over San Siro. The Tuscan’s tactical touch can’t be missed when watching this Napoli side.
Although it wasn’t the Partenopei’s best performance this season, the southerners looked organized, serene and clinical, as they settled the top clash of Round 7 following a thrilling battle against the reigning champions Milan, to put themselves on top of the Serie A table.
While lady luck turned her back on the Rossoneri who hit the woodwork twice, Spalletti maintained his side’s composure and introduced the right players at the right time, as evidenced by Giovanni Simeone’s winner.
Flop (Team): Juventus
Whether they’ve been following Juventus for five, ten, twenty or fifty years, the majority of Bianconeri supporters will tell you how this what one of the most miserable outings they had ever witnessed from their beloved Old Lady.
Max Allegri’s men succumbed to defeat against a club that hadn’t won a Serie A match in its entire history, led by their former player who was making his senior managerial debut.
What a chaotic scenery.
Top (Team): Udinese
For the second week in a row, Udinese is ort top team, and deservedly so. The Zebrette didn’t just beat Inter on Round 7, but rather dominated the action from start to finish despite trailing early on.
Andrea Sottil and his men are undoubtedly the dark horses of the campaign thus far as they now sit third in the Serie A table.
Flop: Our Predictions
At the start of every season, we decide to give our own predictions regarding the finish line while knowing that it will spectacularly go off the mark in the end. This time around, we expected Inter, Milan, Roma and Juventus to respectively finish as the Top four.
Astonishingly, all four giants lost on Sunday in an extremely rare occurrence that hasn’t ensued since 1955, and are currently all out of the Top four spots!
Although its still early days, but one would think that we jinxed the entire table with our unprecise yet mandatory predictions.
 |
Follow us on Google News for more updates on Serie A and Italian football |